Why you should invest in vinyls

A more interactive way to showcase your music library

By Melanie Walsh, Photo Editor

Many music lovers and millennials alike have been vamping up their vinyl collections. whether you are the owner of a classic Genexxa Lab 1000 turntable from the 1980s or a brand new Crosley from Urban Outfitters, a record player is a great accessory for your home and arguably one of the best ways for you to really engage with music. It involves a little more effort than simply logging onto YouTube and putting on a playlist. It is also a great conversation starter as your guests can marvel over your collection and its a great way to actually pay for your music and give back to your favourite artists. When asked why buy vinyls over any other music format, owner of Sloth Records Dave Muir says, “they look better, sound better, and are so much more interesting to show off than an MP3 file!”

So what records should you be spinning at your table? Well that all depends on what kind of vibe you are going for and what music you are into but there are several chart toppers and classics that you might want to consider adding to your collection.

Calgary has a handful of stores for you to choose from, apart from HMV and your grandparents attic.

Currently Sloth Records top five best selling records are:

• 22, a million by Bon Over
• S/T by Preoccupations
• Winter Wheat by John K. Samson
• First Ditch Effort by NOFX
• Special Night by Lee Fields & the Expressions

And the records that Melodiya Records consistently sees flying off the shelves include: (in no particular order)

• Funeral by Arcade Fire
• Legend by Bob Marley
• Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
• 1989 by Taylor Swift
• You’re a woman, I’m a machine by Death from Above

Revival tours, deaths and topping charts are all contributing factors that can be seen in these two sets of tunes and determine why so many copies are sold. Ultimately the beauty about listening to an album via turntable and placing the needle on the vinyl gives you the ability to relax and really listen to the piece in its entirety.

The industry is unique with some mass produced albums selling at markets or garage sales for a couple of bucks. On the flip slide, if you find yourself shelling out a little more for a rare find or a hot new release, you have the beautiful cover that you could frame and display.

Eddie Dalrymple from Melodiya Records says “almost all the new stuff that’s coming out is worth 25 per cent of what you paid for it the moment you crack the shrink wrap.” I myself have a few priceless gems in my collection, a birthday gift from my best friend, the album from the first concert I’ve ever been to and the complete collection of The Beatles handed down to be from my late uncle.

Plus going to the store and flipping through piles and bins and stacks of records could bring back that old familiar feeling of going to the movie store to rent a flick, (remember those days?!) And in the words of the beautiful Penny Lane from the classic Almost Famous, “I always tell the girls, never take it seriously, if you never take it seriously, you never get hurt, you never get hurt, you always have fun, and if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.”